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Implementing a Knowledge Cycle for Best Practices in Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention

Kerry Robinson, Vincent Turgeon, Dexter Harvey, Cheryl Moyer, Peter Coleridge, John Garcia, Nancy Dubois, Nina Jetha

CPHA June 2008

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The Canadian Best Practices Initiative (CBPI)• CBPI Long-term Goal:

“To increase the proportion of decisions made by the intended populations of interest using best available evidence.”

Audience: Decision makers in practice, policy and research.

• Three components of CBPI:– Canadian Best Practices Portal for Health

Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention (Portal)

– Knowledge Exchange Component (KE)– Monitoring Uptake in Practice

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Knowledge Exchange Component

Objectives: 1. To enhance the adoption or adaptation and uptake of content found on and/or through the Portal. 2. To increase contribution of content from practitioners and researchers to the Portal.

Target/partner groups: Intermediary/resource organizations Practitioners and policymakers Researchers/groups

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The Knowledge Cycle Framework

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Needs Assessments

• Needs assessment synthesis (reports, scans): n=13 reviewed

• Focus groups:– March n=13 intermediary/resource organizations – June, 2 internal government focus groups

• Brief email survey, n=23 respondent intermediary organizations (33% response)

• Needs assessment questions for CBPI Portal users and stakeholders (web-based evaluation surveys)… ongoing to June 30

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Identified Assets/Current Activity

• Recognition of importance of supporting organizational & systems change (yet most supports focus on individuals).

• Good capacity and some KE support for main chronic diseases and risk factors.

• Some national & provincial organizations are already engaged in strategic planning & action related to KE (e.g., CCS- MB KEN, SEARCH, CPHI).

• Surveyed organizations report high involvement in development & delivery of capacity building & knowledge exchange processes.

• “High-touch” KE activities (inter-personal) appear to be preferred & effective strategy.

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Highlighted Gaps

• Limited practice reviews / guidelines and KE support for social determinants of health.

• Low awareness, limited access to appropriate supports for KE (some exceptions ON, AB).

• Lack of knowledge sharing across jurisdictions & organizations.• Process information gaps: programmatic insights, how-to,

better processes, etc.• Lack of practice-based evidence from evaluations; low capacity

for evaluation.• Poor awareness of who is doing what in KE support across

Canada, what works and how KE efforts could be linked.• Absence of systems approach to KE, lack of coordination,

piecemeal/short term approach.

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Planned Knowledge Exchange Strategies

• Needs assessment strategy: examination of jurisdictional roles, assets, gaps and opportunities to support pan-Canadian KE activities and related capacity building.

• Capacity building strategy: provide and/or enable pan-Canadian access to relevant tools, training and technical assistance.

• KE partnership/collaboration strategy: facilitate existing resource organizations to undertake joint activities across jurisdictions.

• Exchange support strategy: develop tools and processes to facilitate coordination and knowledge co-creation to support evidence uptake and content contribution to the CBPI Portal

* Strategies are linked to component phases in the Knowledge Cycle Framework

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Capacity-Building Strategy

Activities undertaken in this strategy may include:– Training/e-learning supports

• Portal tutorial, webinars, on-line learning modules, tailored training

– On-line decision-making/practice support tools• Program assessment, evidence

review/interpretation, etc.– Communities of practice

• Link existing groups to Portal, tailored knowledge translation into practical examples, implications

– Technical assistance

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KE Partnership/Collaboration Strategy

Activities undertaken in this strategy may include:• Meetings with existing KE-focused

organizations to coordinate efforts and plan joint activities

• Resource support for multi-organization collaborations to expand and evaluate existing KE support activities– Facilitate dissemination from existing ‘nodes of

excellence’

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Exchange Support Strategy

Activities undertaken in this strategy may include: • Interactive Portal space to post research and

evaluation questions, joint initiatives• Development of network for intermediary/

resource centre organizations engaged in

supporting KE and related capacity building• Online tool to collect practitioner reflections on

using Portal knowledge in practice• Web-based reporting tool to share practice-

based evidence

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CBPI’s Approach to Knowledge Exchange

• Planned strategies are aimed specifically at 3 components in the Cycle Framework (dissemination, adoption and uptake and evaluation).

• The strategies reflect an interactive and tailored approach to integrating knowledge and action.

• Knowledge exchange centres on capacity building to support evidence-informed decision-making and practice-based learning.

• The Knowledge Cycle Framework encourages a common culture and conceptual clarity for KE among CBPI’s audiences and beyond traditional partners within public health.

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Much more to do…implications for all:

• Strengthen practice of evidence-informed decision making in public health.

• Support time for KE and capacity building activities to engage in adapting and applying evidence.

• Contribute to practice-based evidence through rigorous and reflective evaluation.

• Foster linkage and exchange among organizations and leverage existing expertise and resources in Canada.

• Contribute to a comprehensive vision and coordinated ‘platform’ for KE in chronic disease/healthy living.

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Thank you!

Your feedback and ideas are welcomed…

for comments and/or questions:

Kerry Robinson, Ph.D.

kerry_robinson@phac-aspc.gc.ca